The Mesmerizer
by SilasWhitfield
Summary: Artemis has a new toy with a potent kick, which catches the attention of the LEP, who attempt to confiscate it.
1. Chapter 1

**5000 feet over Rome, Fowl Learjet**

Artemis twisted the stem of a wine glass around in his fingers absentmindedly. He wasn't nervous, he assured himself, just eager. For a while now he had been hunting down a series of absolutely divine impressionist paintings, and tonight, he was on the verge of laying his pale hands on the very last one. After the whole sticky business with time and manipulation thereof, he had decided to take some time off. Right now, Butler was in the cockpit, flying them to a private airport in Rome, and then to an auction house, where the painting was being sold. He sipped the rest of the vintage and set the glass back into its holder. The painting was known as _Bal du moulin de la Galette_, a priceless masterpiece by Pierre-Auguste Renoir. It had resided for some time in the Louvre, after which it was transferred to the Musée d'Orsay, and after that to a private collection in Rome. The buyer promptly went bankrupt and the work was now up for auction. Buying, or in some cases "procuring", art was a favorite pastime for Artemis. It was important to him on a primal level to be able to view the picture in his own gallery, to be able to reach out and touch the glass and know that some particularly bright spark had put his fingers in a similar position some centuries ago. It also helped that he loved impressionist work in general. He already had the smaller print, wrenched out of the hands of a Swiss collector. _Well, not wrenched_, he mused. Immediately after his last escapade he had realized the full incapacitating potential of _mesmer_, and had constructed a device that mimicked it's effects, albeit with a huge energy requirement. One burst and the protesting Swiss collector had been all to happy to hand the painting over for the agreed sum of money with a happy grin and a wave. _Father would not approve _ he thought. _But then, he doesn't need to know, does he?_ A grim smirk twisted the corners of Artemis Fowl the Second's mouth. He was back, doing what he loved.

The auction house was about as fancy as was possible under the conditions. A ringed semicircular amphitheater stretched away from a small podium. The lights dimmed and the light chatter and clink of glasses died away. Butler and Artemis settled into their seats in the third row, and Artemis straightened his tie. Suits were another passion, usually Armani, always black. A well-fitted suit projected an aura of authority that Artemis enjoyed immensely, as only a person like him could. The bidding began and several items came up and down from the stage. A priceless antique vase, a Faberge egg, an authentic European long sword used in the Battle of Agincourt. Artemis was severely tempted by the last item, but he only had enough money to outbid everyone once, not twice, and besides, the halls of the Fowl residence had plenty of medieval arms and armor already. At last the painting in question was wheeled carefully onto the stage. The announcer cleared his throat and Artemis' blue eyes widened slightly behind his sunglasses.

"And now, ladies and gentlemen, the final item. A beautiful Renoir in almost mint condition, bids will start at fifty million Euros. Do I hear fifty?"

Artemis raised his bidding card, as did a dozen other audience members.

"I have fifty, I have fifty, do I hear sixty, sixty million?"

The bidding went on for a whole twenty minutes. Gradually the remainder of the audience ceased raising their cards, and Artemis was locked in a price battle with a man in a white suit down the aisle. Artemis ground his teeth in frustration as he went up to one hundred and fifty million and the man matched him. He was about to raise his card again when Butler laid a hand on his arm.

"We're out of the game Artemis, one fifty was our limit. Sorry."

Artemis clenched and unclenched his hands, but otherwise remained the picture of politeness.

"Right, lets get outside, I have a plan B."

"SOLD! To number 295 for a total of one hundred and sixty million Euros, thank you for coming everyone, have a great night!" The announcer boomed

The crowd got to their feet and filed into the dining area. All of them, except for two people, one a tall Eurasian man, and the other, a pale Irish boy, who headed for the parking lot. The warm Mediterranean air flowed over Artemis, but he was not able to enjoy it. Not yet. Not until that stretch of canvas resided on his study wall. Artemis walked over to the Bentley that they had driven from the airport and stood, hands in pockets.

"What are we waiting for?" asked Butler

"We are waiting for the man in that tacky white suit to return to his vehicle. After making a purchase that big, he will be eager to leave and I estimate he won't stay for dinner."

Butler nodded. Artemis's estimates were right nearly one hundred percent of the time. Sure enough, after a few terse minutes of silence, three figures appeared from the shadows of the buildings side exit and proceeded across the crowded parking lot to a reserved slot containing a glossy black sedan. The two moved fast, walking brusquely over to the passenger side where the white suited man was still conversing with his bodyguards. All three turned to face to face the small suited boy and his large companion. Artemis reached into his coat pocket and withdrew a large tube about a foot long, aimed it in the general vicinity of the men, and pressed a button. A white strobe began to flash in front of him, like an old fashioned projector showing a blank slide. The device emitted a faint popping noise and the power bar began to deplete rapidly.

"I am simply an interested party, you will forget about me the moment I am gone. What is you name, and what did you do with the Renoir?" Artemis intoned, slowly and clearly.

The white suited man gazed at him for a moment, eyes half closed.

"My name is Michael Brand, the painting is on a plane to California."

Artemis upped the beam's intensity

"Where in California?"

"The J Paul Getty Museum, we're putting on a showing later this month and-"

"Alright, that's enough." Artemis cut across him.

Just an art director, damn, not even a petty criminal to make this interesting. Artemis switched the mesmerizer off and put it back into his coat pocket. He and Butler walked away from the stunned men.

Back aboard the plane, Artemis was fuming.

"Damn, he outbid me! I'm supposed to have to money avenue covered Butler, that's the whole point of being rich."

Butler staid silent. He knew Artemis was just venting his frustration. Mostly, the frustration stemmed from being bored. With another existential, multi species crisis averted, the fifteen year old genius had nothing with which to occupy his time.

"Where to now?" Butler inquired

"Los Angeles, old friend, the city of angels. I'm going to get that painting."

Butler sighed, in his head of course. The truth was it was good to be right next to his charge, even if he was on a collision course with the law. Not that something as clumsy as the law had ever come close to putting the Fowl family in jail. It was more of an obstacle. A pre-requisite that needed to be met. Such was the logic of the latest in the long line of Fowls.

**Police Plaza, Haven**

Foaly was pulling another long shift. He had been trying to cut down on that since his marriage, but since he was one of the few fairy folk in existence who could operate the surveillance equipment so well, getting time off of work was a challenge. Lucky for him Caballine understood. That was one of the things he loved so much about her, you didn't have to say anything, she just knew. A small, yet insistent ping drew his attention to a monitor on his left that was tracking magical flux around the world. He zoomed into a red dot inside of the Italian Peninsula and stared at it for a few moments. This was puzzling, there was a significant release of magic in this area, but there were no LEP over flights planned there, at least, not that he knew of. There were a multitude of options. It could be one of the rouge fairies that lived on the surface, or it could be a classified operation. Then again, if Section 8 was mucking around with Mud People, they would have called him in to assist, or at the very least, notified him. The dot continued for a moment, and then faded from the display. The centaur scratched his chin and switched to SCOPES, the satellite tracking system. Foaly had petitioned the council to let him launch his own satellite in the past, but the logistics had ultimately been too great, and they had shut him down. After a quick search of the available spy birds in the area, he settled on a brand new United States KH-15 series spy satellite, codenamed Longshot. The Mud Men had made a big leap forward as far as the imaging was concerned. Whereas before, they had trouble making out a vehicle from a bush without careful examination, now they had achieved the long held stereotype of being able to read the headline of a newspaper in someone's hands. Although fairy imaging tech made it look like a cheap disposable camera, Foley had to hand it to the human science team, they worked fast. A few thousand miles up, Longshot made an unscheduled rotation, burning a fraction of a drop of its Hydrazine fuel reserves to settle into position. The camera would have made a faint whirring noise, but the vacuum was dead silent. Foaly saw a parking lot, and not much else. The picture began to sharpen, and the centaur could make out two humans getting into a car. Foaly strained the camera to its maximum resolution and took several still shots. The figures got into the car and it began to move away. He quickly brought up the photos he had taken and cycled through them. All of them depicted a black haired teenager in a crisp suit. Foaly shook his head.

"I should have known. Artemis Fowl."


	2. Chapter 2

**7000 feet above the J Paul Getty Museum (descending rapidly)**

The wind whistled past his face as he plummeted down to the earth. Now THIS was the way to travel, thought Artemis briefly. A long three years and a family that had almost been torn apart on multiple occasions had matured him somewhat, but getting what he wanted, despite the rules would never lose its thrill for him. His namesake, the Greek goddess, was constantly killing other gods who put up a challenge against her hunting talent, so, a few millennia ex post facto, was Artemis Fowl. Every locked door was a taunt. Every safe was an invitation. The phrases "classified" and "top secret" were challenges to his hunting prowess, and while he wasn't quite as bloodthirsty as Greek culture, he was a thousand times as devious, and by the time his rivals were done, they invariably wished they were dead. After a few more seconds of descent, Artemis dragged a hand to his chest and pulled the release strap, despite the howling wind that buffeted him. After an initial jerk that whipped his head like a wet towel, he slowed and sighted his target. Perched high on a hill dotted with houses, the Jean Paul Getty Museum lay silent and still. Artemis keyed his microphone and yelled against the wind to Butler.

"Keep it tight, we don't want to overshoot and end up in the highway!"

"Roger that." Butler replied

The bodyguard shook his head. Artemis. Advising him on HALO insertion. Butler could drop from the edge of space and hit a target the size of a refrigerator. Still, it was best not to burst the kids bubble, he was having a good time, for the first time in a while, an insane activity it might be, but keeping Artemis happy and busy was good for global security. Idle hands... well, the rest went without saying.

They landed with a soft thud in the pavilion, near a small hedgerow maze. Artemis consulted the PDA strapped to his wrist.

"We're in the central garden, forward a few hundred feet."

The two dashed silently down the concrete path, past extravagant architecture. Artemis stopped, turned right at the auditorium and stopped in front of a large, solid building. A small blue sign on each door politely reminded tourists that this particular building was out of bounds to all except staff members. Artemis flipped down a pair of goggles and toggled through several settings before stopping on X-ray. A circuit box perched just above the glass door sent a mass of snaking tendrils to all corners of the building. Artemis pushed the goggles up and held out his hand to Butler, who set a bulky, pistol like device in his palm. It looked rather like a toy gun that shot suckers, but the cone on the end of this gun was studded with Doppler cooling lasers. The device hummed and the section of glass underneath cooled to a few micro-Kelvin above absolute zero. Artemis removed the device and gently applied pressure. The glass popped out with a **thunk** and shattered silently into millions of pieces on the carpet. _What would I do without toys like these? _Artemis mused to himself. He again motioned silently to Butler, who handed him a long metal pole. Artemis pushed it through the gap and pressed a button. A multitude of small tools popped out of the far end, and, using the X-ray mode on his goggles, Artemis deftly disabled the alarm system. Butler stepped forward and pried the door open with a crowbar. Two gilded shadows whipped into the room and vanished in the inky blackness. The silent pop and whine of infrared settings were the only sound, besides a small gust of wind that blew through the door.

**20 miles from the southern California coastline**

Holly grumbled to herself and rubbed her eyes. Getting deployed out here near the western coast of America was not in her usual purview. It was close to four in the morning, and she knew she was going to be jet lagged as hell when she got back. However, the LEP had insisted, considering she was the closest thing to an "Artemis Fowl Expert" as they had. Two other LEPrechauns flew in formation behind her. That was the other catch. Despite numerous investigations against her, she was one of the most experienced officers they had, and thus the at best odious and at worst dangerous task of teaching the rookies fell to her. Skipper and Tumble were two bright stars out of the academy, and the Commander wanted her to supervise their first topside operation. Bright stars though they might be, they were young and green as bamboo. The coastline approached rapidly, the ghostly yellow glow from Los Angeles grew brighter, and Holly could almost feel the smog getting thicker, despite the helmet filters. At last the red blip on her helmet display pointed her to a small hill in the middle of the urban sprawl. Two small 3-d images resolved themselves against her display as she and the cadets dove towards the museum.

Artemis Fowl II (Danger)

Dovomoi Butler (High Danger)

The two were outlined in red, one skinny and lean, the other tall and hulking.

"Stay tight guys, we're not here to get into a firefight." Holly transmitted on the police band

"Roger that Captain Short." said Tumble

And then to no one in particular:

"Artemis, what have you gotten into this time?"

**J Paul Getty Museum, Storage Vault 2b**

Artemis examined the blank wall. Or, so it appeared. A hairline crack ran in a perfect circle around, nearly touching the ground and going all the way up to the ceiling. The door would only open on a timer, and since they hadn't had the time to draw up any fancy schemes, the only door opening materials Butler ad brought along was fifty pounds of Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate, or simply, PETN. PETN was one of the most powerful high explosives known to man. The explosive was volatile and unpredictable, not easy to set off at room temperature, and consequentially, was usually only used in concert with other explosives. Artemis had spent all of the plane ride over packing it into cones, to be used as a shape charge. Butler set the charges at regular intervals all along the hairline crack and linked the wires to a remote set. Together they dashed back up the stairs and out of the building.

"Do you want to do the honors?" Butler said, proffering the detonator

"More than anything." Artemis whispered and took the little grey box from his hand

With some trepidation he flipped the safety switch up and twisted the key. A deep rumble shook the hill and then turned into a massive, supersonic clap that broke every panel of glass around them. Artemis tumbled backwards, and Butler caught him under the arms at the last minute. They advanced cautiously forward. The circular vault door was lying on the ground in front of the hole, as if it had just fallen over. Large chunks of its sides were missing, as if Mulch Diggums had taken bites out of it. Artemis leapt over the fallen door and into the large inner chamber.

The painting lay on the far wall, almost completely untouched. Artemis wiped a patch of concrete dust off of the protective covering and tucked it under his arm. A bevy of footsteps made him freeze. They got nearer and nearer, echoing off of the walls of he vault. Butler made a frantic gesture to Artemis and they both dove into a corner just as several night guards dashed around the corner, pistols drawn. Artemis reached into his pocket and withdrew the mesmerizer. He jumped out into the light and switched it on. The guards did a double take and then sagged. Artemis grinned. He could make a fortune off of this thing.

"Walk into the vault and disassemble your weapons, forget about both of us."

The guards nodded to each other as though this was a perfectly sensible suggestion and bumbled off to do just that. Artemis and Butler dashed up the steps and towards the place where they had landed. Butler checked his watch.

"It's almost time, the plane will be making another pass any second."

High above them, the Fowl family jet circled in autopilot. Artemis fumbled in the folds of their discarded parachutes and produced what looked like a comical grappling hook with a lead weight on the end. The weight was not lead however, it was a solid neodymium magnet. Artemis handed the tool to Butler, who had better arms with which to handle the recoil. The massive bodyguard locked on to the circling jet and pulled the trigger. The magnet screamed skyward and hooked on to another magnet just under the tail. The magnetic sensors detected this and opened the modified back hatch. Butler detached the rope and fed it into a series of hooks. Both of them took one and cinched it tight around their waist.

"Three, two, one-OOF" Artemis gasped as the sudden acceleration dragged them skyward. The jet had been coasting at low power, and the rope was specially designed to absorb tension, but the wind was knocked clean out of him nonetheless. The rig began reeling them in and before long Butler was helping him into the back of the Learjet.

"Interesting exfiltration method, but I think in future I prefer a helicopter." Artemis hissed through clenched teeth. At least they had the painting.


	3. Chapter 3

**J Paul Getty Museum, Storage Vault 2b **

Holly and the cadets stepped over the ruins of the vault door and observed three humans in rent-a-cop uniforms leaning placidly against the walls, their weapons lying in pieces next to them.

"Foaly are you getting all this?" Holly asked

"Yeah, I see it. Whatever Fowl used on them, it sure messed them up good. Their pupils are already ragged, looks like classic mesmerization, but I've never seen it so potent."

"Then we have to find that device and destroy it before Artemis decides to sell it."

"Actually, it would be better if you could capture it intact, I've been dying to see exactly how he's harnessed mesmer. It's a tricky business."

"I got it. Can you get me a shuttle? I think I know where he's headed."

"Sure thing, pickup will be there in three minutes."

The transmission filled with static as Foaly disconnected.

**The Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis peeked into the living room apprehensively. His Mother and Father were curled up together on the couch, watching a soap opera. He paused for just a moment, and the light hearted mischievousness of the hunt left him. It felt indescribably good to have a whole family again. It had been so long, with just his insane mother locked up in the attic for company. Artemis backed away and walked up another flight of stairs to his study. The long, oak paneled walls greeted him in the dim light. After ripping off the delicate covering Artemis opened the last empty frame one the wall and carefully placed the painting inside. Behind him, the door swung closed and a voice emanated from nowhere.

"Evening Artemis."

Artemis spun around to see Holly sitting in his computer chair, her weapon drawn. A ghost of a smile twitched at his mouth.

"Holly! To what do I owe this visit?"

Holly smirked

"Your little toy for starters. Do you know how much power that thing puts out? You nearly caused those people brain damage. I'm here to confiscate that thing and destroy it."

"I doubt you're really going to destroy it."

"And why's that?"

Because the first thing I would do is dissect it, and that's exactly what Foaly wants. It needs fine tuning, yes, but it's not dangerous."

"It will be when the Pentagon has one."

"I don't intend to sell to the Pentagon."

"Well you're going to sell it to someone, Fowl, and god help if you did. Which you're not. You're going to hand it to me, right here, right now."

Artemis' eyes darted around the room briefly before breaking into a run for the other door. A LEP recon agent uncloaked and raised his gun, blocking the door. Artemis skidded a bit, and backpedaled. At that moment, Butler walked into the room carrying a tray of tea. Upon seeing guns pointed at his principle he deftly threw the tray onto a desk and drew his Sig Sauer. A second LEP agent uncloaked in the corner and pointed yet another gun at Butler. There was a tense few seconds of shuffling while both sides sized each other up, then Holly jumped down from the chair and lowered her weapon.

"Alright, everybody relax, just relax. Artemis, just give the device and we're gone."

"Why should I? I think you owe me a little something, now and again."

"This is a matter of national security Artemis, and it's a lot more important to us than your bottom line. Find another way to make millions, shouldn't be hard with a mind like yours."

"It would be a lot easier if fairies didn't keep swooping down and taking all my best projects."

Holly sighed, casually raised the Neutrino 3000 and pulled the trigger. Dovomoi Butler's eyes rolled into the back of his head and he slumped over, unconscious. Artemis stared at Holly in disbelief.

"You just shot-"

The young mastermind was cut off, mid-sentence as Captain Short set the power level a notch lower and blasted him straight in the chest. Artemis stumbled backward and grasped at a desk, fighting the black that crept along the corners of his vision. The last thing he saw was Holly Short's face, outlined against the priceless chandelier.

"About your bedtime anyway."

Tumble sniggered and Holly patted the now unconscious Artemis down.

"Ah, what have we here?"

A small fairy hand darted inside his coat pocket and retrieved a bulky cylinder.

"Gotcha! Alright you two, lets get back to base, they'll be coming around in a few hours."

On the way out Tumble broke formation and walked alongside Holly.

"Captain Short?"

"Yeah?"

"Why'd you shoot him? Couldn't we have just negotiated for it?"

Holly smiled dryly

"No, you see, that plays right into his hands. The last thing you want to do is give Artemis time to think. When that boy gets himself backed against a wall, people get hurt."

Tumble nodded

**Somewhere under the Earth's crust**

Foaly turned the device over in his hand.

"This looks amazing, how long has he been working on this?"

Holly shrugged

"No idea."

Carefully the centaur traced a line around the middle of the cylinder.

"Looks like it unscrews here."

Foaly twisted the section and it detached cleanly. He held the two pieces at arms length to examine them. A frown creased his brow momentarily.

"Do you hear that?"

Holly could indeed hear a faint ticking noise, getting faster and faster. Foaly dropped the device like a hot potato and it rolled away across the floor. A millisecond later the thermite charges sparked, melted the two halves into sparking ruins and sinking three inches into solid concrete before going out. Despite himself, the technician laughed.

"Always one step ahead..."

**The Fowl Manor, Ireland**

Artemis pushed himself groggily to his feet, as did Butler. He felt the empty space in his coat pocket and a grin that would not have been out of place on the Chesire Cat spread across his features. A pale set of hands pulled the desk drawer open and retrieved the real mesmerizer.

"Thanks for the distraction Butler, I don't think they noticed the switch."

He crossed the room and took a sip from one of the teacups on the tray.

"Oh, Earl Gray. My favorite."


	4. Chapter 4

Someone was tapping him softly on his shoulder. He brushed it away absentmindedly, but it persisted. Suddenly, Artemis opened his eyes.

"Artemis, we're about to land."

The raven haired teenager sat up from the couch where he had been dozing.

"Right. Thank you Butler."

Butler retreated to the cockpit and took it off of autopilot.

A few hours later they were zooming over the beautiful English countryside, the green hills rising and falling on either side of the car. They split from the main road and the Bentley's tires bumped and rattled over the unpaved gravel path. Cows looked up from their grazing now and again to observe them. The car turned another corner and they emerged into a large, low valley between two hillocks. A small manor stood perched on a slight bump, surrounded by fields of grass. There were almost a dozen other cars parked on the gravel in front of the house, expensive and flashy models gleaming in the sun. Butler parked and took up position behind the young Fowl as he ascended the steps and walked in the front door. The housekeeper greeted them in the hallway. He was a hunched old man, bent, but lively.

"Master Artemis, I was wondering when you were arriving, everything is ready and you guests are in the dining room right now."

"Thank you Beasley, you are invaluable as ever."

Beasley grinned and rubbed his weather beaten hands together. The previous family that owned this spacious plot of land had not treated him well, and when they had moved away, Artemis had bought the land and set it in the care Jeff Beasley. Jeff had tended to the house and grounds for years, and he was overjoyed to have free run of it.

Artemis breezed through the entrance hall and paused on the threshold of the dining room, straightening his tie, and putting on the best imitation of a pleasant smile he could drum up. When at last he entered and took up his seat at the head of the table, the talking died down. He could see, arrayed to his left and right along the white linen tablecloth business executives, oil magnates, railway barons, and local politicians. He took his time pulling in his seat to maximize the slightly menacing silence that had fallen about them. Presently, he spoke.

"Gentlemen, gentlemen. Good to see you all here and in good health. I understand that this is not the most formal of places to host the very first stockholder meeting of Fowl Industries, but I simply could not pass up the English countryside in springtime."

There were smiles and nods all around. Good, the guests were enjoying themselves.

"Some of you have prior affiliations with the Fowl household, perhaps with my father, perhaps with me. Some of you are first timers here, in which case I extend a warm Fowl welcome."

Artemis paused to let the last words wash over the guests. Each one of them knew that the teenager that sat at the head of the table was about as warm as a sheet of polar ice.

"I started Fowl Industries six months ago, to better manage and direct the assets at my disposal. You are assembled here because you all made some sort of investment to this company, some monetary, some not. We will eat a light lunch and then retire to the lounge, where I will go over the coming years projects. Bon Appétit."

At this signal, the three waiters hired for the occasion descended upon the table bearing trays of garlic bread, tilapia, and a summer salad with a balsamic dressing. Artemis munched happily on the leafy greens.

"Ah, fresh olive oil. Nothing better."

He looked over at Butler, who was seated on his left, rather closer than the other diners. Butler had not touched a bite on his plate. Artemis frowned.

"Something wrong old friend?"

Butler bit his lip and surveyed the congregation, who were already refilling their wine glasses.

"Nothing, just a bit on edge today."

"Relax. The chances of them tracing the painting to us are miniscule."

"Still, if they were on to us, this is where they would arrest you, and getting arrested in front of your investors would not leave a good impression."'

"I understand, but there isn't much we could do about it. Besides" Artemis gave a rare, genuine smile. "The weather is lovely."

Butler raised one eyebrow.

"You're in a fine mood."

Artemis grinned.

"It's the spring air. Appeals to the Irish in me."

Artemis let the guests finish their respective plates of food and then stood.

"And now to business. If you will follow Butler into the lounge."

All of them knew Butler. He was a silent celebrity in his own right. Wherever the Artemis boy turned up, there was Butler, standing utterly silent like a menacing monolith of authority. The congregation filed into the dimly lit lounge and found themselves comfortable easy chairs in which to sit. Artemis walked to the only blank wall in the room and picked a pointer stick out of an oak drawer. Butler took up his place behind the projector and turned it on. It was absolutely ancient by today's standards, but PowerPoint was still the most basic way of directing a presentation.

"First slide please."

A white light fell on the wall as the computer booted up, and then a picture of a large industrial structure nestled in the cone of a volcano.

"This, is the brand new thermodynamic power plant in Heimaey, Iceland. For quite some time, the Volcanic activity of the local mount Eldfell has cast a pall over the island. Not anymore. Just last week, I personally oversaw the grand opening of the Eldfell Thermodynamic Power Station. It uses a radical new way to exploit the heat potential of the lava, while at the same time relieving tectonic pressure and removing the possibility of an eruption. This single power plant generates close to a thousand megawatts, almost unheard of in the heat energy business, a full eight times better than our closest competitor. I fully expect this power plant to pay for itself within six weeks of operation. Next slide."

The projector gave a quiet click-whir, and another picture appeared on screen. It was a small silver tube, around six inches long.

"The other major project I have embarked upon this year is something I like to call the Mesmerizer. A patent is being written up as we speak, and there are several interested buyers. The Mesmerizer takes advantage of an as-of-yet classified process that scrambles the brainwaves of a person and leaves him vulnerable to suggestion. It has a myriad of possible applications, not least of which is crowd control. Scheduled for release later this year."

The meeting dragged on, but not too long. A half an hour later Artemis stood by the door and saw his guests off. They all shook his hand and wished him well. The last man at the door was a thin faced man dressed in a rumbled grey suit and silver glasses.

"Hello Mister Prime Minister."

"Oh, hello Mr. Fowl. You know technically, its Chancellor, I haven't won the election yet."

"Oh but you will Alistair, you will! With my donations and political pull, I think the staff at 10 Downing Street are already putting a nametag on your desk."

Alistair ran a hand through his thinning white hair and smiled nervously

"One can only hope..."

"One can do better than hope, one can invest. Speaking of which, I hope you haven't forgotten our arrangement."

"Of course Artemis, I won't forget you when the election's over."

Artemis shook his hand firmly

"Smart boy. Her Majesties Government is in good hands."

The significance of a fifteen year old calling him a "boy" was not lost on the chancellor, but he decided not to say anything. That child gave him the creeps. You couldn't help but shiver when those mismatched eyes stared at you. Especially the blue one. Mr. Darling held in another shudder and walked down the steps to his escort, trying not to think about that electrifying gaze boring into the back of his neck.

Artemis closed the door and heaved a sigh of relief.

"At last, a little peace and quiet."

**12:37 AM Western European Time (GMT +0)**

Artemis sat on the edge of his bed, brooding. He had always been a night owl. Sleep was not a priority when you owned property on all seven continents. Silently, he crossed the bedroom to the large window that was letting the moonlight in. He crossed his arms and stared out onto the grass, softly whispering in the wind. A pair of fireflies were playing around near the road, moving up and do-

"Wait a minute..."

The fireflies multiplied and swerved down the gravel track. As the emerged from under a shade of willows, Artemis saw the black outlines of police vans.

"God-DAMN! BUTLER WAKE UP, WE HAVE COMPANY!"

***

Jeff Beasley rubbed his eyes wearily. His Arthritis was acting up again and the bed felt like a slab of stone. He sat in the entrance hall, looking out one of the mullioned windows. A second later he heard tires crunching on gravel and shouting. The boot steps came nearer and nearer, until finally the thumping was on the porch. Jeff stood and started to walk down the hall to the door. There was a moment of silence and then the door burst open and a dozen armed officers swarmed through, pinning the hapless groundskeeper to the wall. The armed men stormed through the house one room at a time, until they burst into the upstairs study. There sat a well dressed young boy, flipping a toothpick in between his fingers and looking at the officers with apparent boredom. A large, heavy set man with a mop of brown hair stepped forward.

"Artemis Fowl the Second?"

"Speaking."

The man pulled out a pale blue identification card.

"Captain Docherty, Interpol, we'd like to ask you a few questions."

An amused smile crept onto Artemis's face.

"So you say. I rather think not, however. I think you have your mind made up already, and you are here in full body armor at god-only-knows in the morning because you are afraid of what you have found."

The captain was frozen in indecision for a moment, then stepped forward with a pair of handcuffs. A large, strong hand fell out of the shadows and clapped itself around Docherty's wrist like a human vise. Immediately, the agents brought their weapons to bear on Butler, who stepped into the light of the single incandescent bulb. Artemis waved a hand.

"Relax, old friend."

He stood and extended a hand, palm up.

"I am quite capable of putting those cuffs on myself, you know."

Due to positive and constructive reviews, I have decided to write more. Enjoy and review, more is on the way.


	5. Chapter 5

**Federal Supermax Detention Unit Six, Cell Number 10196, Somewhere in Utah**

Artemis ran his hand over the fabric of his bed for the hundredth time. How many hours had it been? Maybe it had been days. It was literally impossible to tell in here. The lights operated at fifty percent at all times, bathing the tiny white cell in a dim glow that wasn't bright enough to keep him awake, but wasn't dark enough to limit his vision.

It was all very melodramatic for a simple painting theft. Then again, he did blow up the safe and take stolen property across national borders. But of course, the real reason he was in the Federal Supermax Detention Unit Six was because they knew exactly what he was capable of. It was all very hush-hush, one of those ugly little places where people disappeared and were never heard from again.

Butler had been released, apparently they thought he was simply a bodyguard. At some point he had been handed over to the Americans, it was hard to tell when. From his point of view he had been put on a plane, flown to the Midwest somewhere and handed to another set of stern looking people wearing almost identical clothing. They had confiscated his clothes and given him a standard orange jumpsuit with the numbers 16673 emblazoned on the back in bold text. On his arm was an ironed on patch depicting a white dove. Escape risk. For once, he didn't have any idea what he was going to do. Being at the mercy of captors was a unique experience for him.

He had been taken hostage before, certainly, but before there was always the Fowl Family fortune and a very large Eurasian man waiting in the wings to save him. Not counting his own considerable intellect, of course. A slot opened up in the door and a Styrofoam plate of food was shoved through. Minced chicken with the bones removed. Artemis got up from the cot and held the food at length, a slight frown of distaste evident on his face. He was hungry, but he wasn't about to eat THAT. He set the plate gingerly down on the floor next to the toilet. It was a small act of protest, but it emboldened him. It was all he could do.

***

"He is a minor and I'm his legal guardian, I have a constitutional right to see him!"

The elderly woman behind the desk stared back at him from behind a pair of round glasses.

"You're not a United States citizen and neither is he. Furthermore he is a flight risk, and you are under investigation. I hardly think it would be wise to even let you communicate."

Butler clenched his fists in frustration. It had been a whole week since he had seen Artemis, and having his principle locked in a Super-Maximum prison left him feeling frustrated and useless.

"If you don't let me see him I'll go to the press. They'll have a field day with this! Keeping a fifteen year old child in twenty four hour solitary confinement is practically torture!"

At the mention of the word "press" the woman's jaw tightened. He had hit a nerve.

"Alright, look, I can't guarantee ANYTHING, but I will talk to the warden and you will get a call tomorrow."

Butler nodded and stood to leave. It wasn't what he had hoped for, but he'd take what he could get at this point.

***

The two guards flanking him had relaxed their grip. It was the same two as yesterday, and the day before that. They were, almost acquaintances, but they didn't respond when he had attempted to engage them in conversation. It was like chatting to a doorknob. After a series of long metal hallways and security gates he was led outside to a small courtyard dug six feet into the ground. A large chain link fence enclosed the small area. The guards pushed him in and closed the massive door behind him. Another officer with a rifle stood on a catwalk across from him, watching. His one hour of exercise. Artemis was not interested in exercise. He wasn't interested in much of anything here, because there wasn't much to be interested in. In fact, there was nothing. For twenty three hours a day he was shut in that cell. The minutes scraped past like years. He slept most of the time, and when he couldn't sleep he paced just to tire himself out. He was pretty sure it had been eight days, because sixteen meals had been deposited in his room so far. When he went out for exercise they searched his cell and cleaned away everything. He walked to the far corner of the fence and slumped against it, breathing in the fresh air. Someone would come for him. They had to.

***

Butler waited apprehensively, nervous adrenaline making his foot tap on the concrete floor. After what seemed like an eternity the guard returned and motioned for him to follow. He was led into another room where a row of two-way phones sat on their hooks. He found a seat at one in the middle and waited. On the other side of the glass a heavy security door slid open and a fifteen year old boy in prison garb was pushed through. Butler was almost relieved to see him, until he sat down at the opposite booth. He was the same as he always was. Except for the eyes. Normally Artemis looked like he was trying to stare a hole right through you and into the wall behind your head, but these eyes were different. Unfocused. His entire face conveyed no expression. With some trepidation, Butler picked up his phone and Artemis did the same.

"Hey Artemis."

"Hello Butler."

The response was casual. Like they were just passing each other on the street. There was a slight pause.

"Do you have a plan?"

"Naturally."

Some of the weight on Butler's chest lifted. Once his employer had a plan, things started to happen.

"What do you need me to do?"

"Go back to the Manor and get my communicator. Find Holly. Tell her I can get the real Mesmerizer if she can secure my release."

Butler nodded. He had been thinking about giving the fairy folk a call himself.

"That's it?"

"One more thing. I have a shirt hanging up in the study, if you could take it down and put it away for me, that would be just fantastic."

Of course. The painting was still hanging in his study. If Interpol decided to make an appearance it would be and open and shut case.

"Will do Artemis. I'll talk to you in... A little while. Take care of yourself."

Artemis not have known it, but Butler meant those last words. The young mastermind was resilient, but the total sensory deprivation was obviously wearing him down.

***

Holly rolled over and slapped around on the bedside table until her arm connected with the snooze button. The buzzing stopped and she almost let herself drift back off to sleep. Almost. Of course she couldn't sleep in, she chided herself, there was a hell of a lot of paperwork waiting for her. Integrating an entire race that was previously thought extinct into an underground metropolis with limited space and touchy inhabitants was a nightmare. A nightmare that manifested itself in stacks upon stacks of red tape.

The office door shut closed behind her, drowning out the sound of ringing phones and small talk. It was a pretty nice office, to be fair. Solid oak desk, nice comfortable chair, top of the line computer, all the amenities. It was a bureaucrats heaven, so it was a shame, she reflected, that she had never been much of a bureaucrat. A fresh stack of paper had been deposited in her in box during her absence, and she casually flicked off the first dozen papers into the trash, as they were invariable complaint forms from Trouble's younger sibling. For the next hour and a half she dutifully signed requisition requests.

A loud ringing sound made her jump. She picked up the handset next to her.

"Hello?"

There was no answer and the ringing continued. The LEP Major finally realized that the sound was coming from her personal communicator. Her heart skipped a beat. It was Artemis! Just what she needed, a little boy genius to spice up her day. She retrieved the small pad and flipped it open.

"Hello?"

"Holly, it's me, Butler." A gruff and slightly tired voice floated through the connection.

"Butler, hi, long time no see. What's going on?"

"It's Artemis. He's in trouble. Can you meet me at the manor in a half hour?"

Holly frowned.

"What? Why? What's going on?"

"Not now, we need to talk face to face. Can you meet me?"

Holly's curiosity dissolved into worry

"I have a desk job now Butler, I can't just leave whenever I want, it doesn't work like that!"

"You know I wouldn't do this if it wasn't important. He needs your help."

The elf bit her lower lip. Artemis was not one to cry for outside aid unless things were really bad. After a long pause she made up her mind.

"Alright, I'm coming."

"Thank you."

***

Artemis turned over in his bunk. Try as he might, sleep didn't come tonight. He would close his eyes, turn over time and time again and try to drift off but he just couldn't. They had even shut the lights off all the way tonight. He lay on the rough sheets with his front facing the white brick wall and stared at it. It was almost perfectly seamless except for a small indent where some previous occupant had picked at it in his long hours of solitude. As Artemis reached out a hand to it a faint blue light flashed over his palm. He recoiled instinctively. The blue light appeared again on the wall. Artemis's eyes flicked to the window and his heart skipped a beat. A familiar shape was hovering just outside the bars. Artemis dashed to the window, almost like the child he was supposed to be. Holly raised her helmets visor.

***

He was paler, if that was possible. His skin was tighter across his high cheekbones, making them look less regal and more skeleton-like. His eyes, though distant a moment before, had reclaimed their old predatory gleam. The boy was a tiger, looking at a key to his cage that was dangling in the arms of a songbird, just out of reach.

"Hello Artemis."

"Good evening Holly."

They paused momentarily. Where to even begin?

"You're in prison."

Artemis rolled his eyes.

"Oh, well spotted."

"No, I mean, this is a change for you. What happened to being invincible. What happened to "gold is power"?"

"Leave out the gloating Holly, it's not why you showed up and we both know it."

Holly's expression softened.

"Artemis, I'm not gloating. We're not like that anymore."

"I would hope so, otherwise my avenues for freedom are running out."

"Even so, I'm not just giving you a free ride out of here."

Artemis pursed his lips.

"I know."

"I-We, want that horrible little device of yours. It needs to be locked in a vault or destroyed, and if I get my way it'll be the latter."

"Fine."

"Just like that?"

"What other choice do I have?"

Holly narrowed her eyes.

"I want your word Artemis. I want your word that you understand this isn't one of your games anymore. This is real."

Artemis Fowl leaned as far towards Holly as the bars would permit, and the look on his face sent shivers down her spine. It wasn't angry, just incredibly cold.

"You think this is still a game for me?"

"Well, you alwa-"

"This is not a game. Sitting in a cell twenty four hours a day, seven days a week is not a game. Never was, never will be."

There was silence for a moment. When Artemis next spoke, his face carried more sadness than malice.

"After all these years working together, you still don't trust me?"

The elf sighed.

"I trust you Artemis. I trust you to do what you think is right. The problem is, that isn't always what the rest of us think is right."

The teenager shrugged and held out a hand through the bars.

"Can you forgive me for being me?"

Holly smiled and shook his hand

"I think I can do that, just this once."

She pulled her visor back down over her face and Artemis saw his own reflection in it.

"You'll be out by this time tomorrow. Just need to work a little fairy magic."

And with that she was gone.

***

Mr. Noble was astounded. He had woken up this morning with a whanging headache to find out that he had released the Fowl boy from both Interpol and American custody without filing charges. Furthermore he had also discovered from his subordinates that he had ordered the boys criminal record destroyed. The process had apparently taken several hours. The one catch was that he couldn't remember a damn second of it. At that moment his secretary walked in.

"Sir I have that speech on human trafficking for the conference next week."

IPC jerked out of his musings and shook himself. Old age. He probably had a very good reason for letting the Fowl kid go, even if it didn't spring immediately to mind. Besides, he had bigger fish to fry.

"Just set it on the desk over there Seymour. Thank you."

***

Artemis stepped out of the car and stretched. The open air felt indescribably good, like an oasis after a long journey through the desert. They were still well within American borders, but Artemis had insisted on stopping at least once. He had been cooped up for far too long and now he was going to enjoy it, not be stuck in an air-conditioned car all the way to the airport. So here they were, sitting on a concrete picnic bench at some godforsaken truck stop in the middle of nowhere. From what he had seen, that pretty much summed up Utah. Other people would look over occasionally, their eyes would scan his expensive suit, drift over to Butler, and then recoil back to whatever it was they were doing. Artemis ignored them.

"What time is it?"

His bodyguard pulled a sleeve up slightly to glance at his watch.

"Almost two."

The raven haired teenager nodded and stood up reluctantly.

"We'd better go. Fairies keep precise time, and I wouldn't want Holly to think we swindled her. Again."

"And sir, if I may add, your parents are going to want a very good explanation as to where you have been."

Artemis winced.

"Damn. I suppose I will, won't I? Oh well, we'll cross that bridge when we come to it."

Butler opened the door to the rental car that was parked on the edge of the lot, and Artemis situated himself in the passenger seat. Not exactly the style of travel he was used to, but hey, desperate times.

"Oh, and Butler?"

"Yeah?"

"Thanks for helping me out of there."

The massive Eurasian man disappeared behind his customary pair of shades.

"Just doing my job."

{Thanks for reading, and I apologize for spelling mistakes, I haven't had my mind on my work these past few weeks.}


End file.
